Norwich company joins cancer fight
A new company based on the Norwich Research Park has joined the fight against MRSA and cancer.
Researchers at the John Innes Centre near Norwich have launched a new company, Inspiralis, based around their expertise in ‘DNA topoisomerases’.
These are a group of enzymes that help DNA molecules to unravel and wind up properly and not to become tangled during replication.
Inspiralis co-founder Nicolas Burton said: “DNA becomes tangled as a result of various cellular processes, such as replication, which ultimately stops these processes continuing. DNA topoisomerases untangle it. Without them, cells die.”
A number of powerful antibiotics and key anti-cancer drugs act by inhibiting topoisomerases.
In cancer, cells rapidly divide in an uncontrolled manner and topoisomerase inhibitors can block this uncontrolled division.
The search is now on for new ways of inhibiting topoisomerases.
Inspiralis makes a range of products targeted at the pharmaceutical industry to enable drug-discovery work in this area including topoisomerase enzymes themselves as well as associated products.
A new high-throughput test, developed recently in the laboratory of Prof Tony Maxwell of the John Innes Centre and co-founder of Inspiralis, will also provide a huge advance on the standard gel-based screening method for topoisomerase inhibitors.
Inspiralis will develop the technique further as well as offering screening services to companies.
“The test will potentially allow millions of compounds to be screened for activity rather than just hundreds,” said Dr Burton.
The technology can now be accessed as a service or as a kit helping pharmaceutical companies and academics to screen for new and better cancer drugs and antibiotics.
“Topoisomerase inhibitors are key targets for new drug development”, said Alison Howells, a co-founder of Inspiralis.
“We can test potential new drugs against topoisomerases as well as help discover new inhibitors as a first step to developing brand new drugs.”
Inspiralis is based at the Norwich Bio-Incubator at JIC and was founded with backing from the Iceni fund, a private investor, and the John Innes Centre.
The high-throughput test is patented by JIC’s and BBSRC’s technology transfer company, Plant Biosciences, and non-exclusive licenses have already been granted to pharmaceutical companies to utilise the equipment.
